Study Break
by MariaClaire
Summary: Annabeth and Percy have been focused on schoolwork for months. Their hard work seems to be paying off when the acceptance letter from the University of New Rome arrives...for Annabeth. When Percy's letter doesn't immediately follow, it raises some questions about whether the future they're planning for can actually become a reality.
1. Chapter 1

*****This story takes place during the fall of Annabeth and Percy's senior year. There will be a second chapter that will be up late next week. Also, the usual disclaimer, the characters and all don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for a bit.*****

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If forced to pinpoint when the issue arose, Annabeth probably would have said late October, when she got her acceptance letter. In retrospect, maybe she should have waited, but it never occurred to her that she would get a letter before him. Or that she would get one and he wouldn't. So when Percy opened the apartment door and she threw her arms around him and practically squealed, "It came!" she fully expected him to say, "Mine, too," not "Um, what did?"

Annabeth took a step back and held out the open envelope. "My University of New Rome acceptance letter. Didn't—didn't you get yours today, too?"

Percy's eyes widened. "Oh sweet. I don't know, I never check the mail. Hey, Mom?" He walked into the kitchen and Annabeth followed him to see Sally sliding a lasagna into the oven. "Did I get any mail today?"

"I don't think so, sweetheart. Why? Oh, hello, Annabeth." Sally greeted Annabeth with a kind smile as she closed the oven door. "What do you have there, dear?"

"Acceptance letter from the University of New Rome." Annabeth held it up again. "I figured Percy's came today, too."

Percy was flipping through a pile of mail on the counter, but came up empty. "Nothing yet."

Annabeth and Sally exchanged the slightest of fleeting glances, then Sally said, "I'm sure it'll be here soon, then."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "They probably just go in alphabetical order or something and Chase comes before Jackson."

"Probably." A tiny wrinkle of worry crossed Percy's forehead, but it vanished the next second when he smiled. He stepped closer and gave her a big hug. "Congratulations, Wise Girl. One step closer, right?"

"Mmhm." Annabeth held onto Percy for as long as she dared with Sally standing right there, trying to impart some silent reassurance. When she stepped back and met his eyes, he seemed fine, and she returned his smile.

"Congratulations, Annabeth." Sally gave her a hug as well. "You're staying for dinner, right?"

"Thanks, Sally. And sure, I'd love to."

"Wonderful. The lasagna should be ready in about," she checked the oven timer, "forty-five minutes."

"Awesome. Then we have time to go over your flashcards again for tomorrow's vocab test, Seaweed Brain." Percy groaned loudly, but he let Annabeth take his hand and pull him into the living room, where the couch was partly concealed by the pile of textbooks stacked on the coffee table.

The rest of the night was fine. They'd all been sure Percy's letter would arrive later that week.

Except it didn't. It didn't arrive the next week either. Percy didn't mention it and Annabeth didn't ask. She figured when it showed up, he would tell her. She wasn't ready to consider what they would do if it never came. Although she would absolutely _not _be going to New Rome alone. This had all been Percy's idea. No way would she leave him behind. But she couldn't figure out the hold up. He'd been a _praetor_, after all, even if it was only briefly. Surely they had to let him in. Even if it was an issue with grades or attendance, well, he was a demigod. If any college was going to understand that, it had to be the University of New Rome. When her second letter arrived, explaining about New Rome's connections at UC Berkeley for certain programs, like architecture, and congratulating her on being accepted into UC Berkeley's program, Annabeth kept it to herself.

For a few days, anyway. Until the next Monday, when Percy stopped at her dorm after swim practice so she could help him with his pre-calculus homework. Patience wasn't her strong suit, but Annabeth was trying her best, especially since she could tell Percy really was working hard to understand the material. However, after a frustrating half hour, they'd only completed two problems, and Percy was clenching his jaw as he erased his mistakes on the third problem for a fifth time.

"Look," Annabeth said, fighting to keep the irritation out of her voice, "the concept is the same on this problem as the previous two. You just have to make some adjustments for—"

"I know," Percy said tightly. "You've said that three times."

"Then why do you keep—" Annabeth took a deep breath. As gently as she could, she pulled his textbook and notebook towards her, then tugged the pencil out of his hand. "Just watch me again. And pay attention."

"I've been paying attention."

"Extra attention." Using one of the practice problems from the book, Annabeth demonstrated again how to solve the equation. Halfway through the problem, she glanced over at Percy to find his brow was furrowed in concentration as he frowned intently at the paper, watching her work. He really was trying. Even though she knew how much he hated the subject. Just like that, her frustration evaporated. With a renewed burst of energy, Annabeth went back to explaining the problem, but this time trying to phrase the information in a fresh way that she hoped would resonate better with her boyfriend.

And it must have worked because when she reached the spot he'd been struggling with, Percy quietly said, "Oh," like realization had just struck. Then, taking the pencil out of her hand and pulling the notebook back over to his lap, he started scribbling, working through the rest of the problem. "So I need to do _this _part first, _then_ figure out the rest of it, right?"

"Exactly." Annabeth patted his knee. "See, I knew you could figure it out."

"Don't get too excited yet," Percy said as he moved from the practice problem back to his actual homework. "I've still got seven more of these stupid things to go."

But they made progress through two more problems before he had to stand up to sharpen his pencil.

"I keep telling you to use mechanical pencils," Annabeth said, taking the opportunity to stretch her arms and twist the kinks out of her back. "Then you wouldn't have this problem."

"You still have to add the new lead sometimes, though," Percy pointed out. "Nothing's perfect."

Annabeth rolled her eyes as Percy dug his pencil sharpener out of his backpack. While he was working on that, she checked over the next couple of problems. "Okay, these next ones are a different type of equation, but honestly, if you got those first few, these shouldn't be too bad." When Percy didn't answer, Annabeth looked up. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she realized he was looking at her second letter from New Rome, which was lying open on her desk. "Oh, um, yeah, that came the other day."

"So you're going to be taking classes at UC Berkeley, too?"

Annabeth tucked her hair behind her ear. "I think so. They have an agreement with New Rome, so that demigods can get mortal credits and credentials, too. It gives more job opportunities."

"You told me that back in September, when we were looking into the programs," Percy said carefully. "When you were putting your portfolio together. Why didn't you tell me you got in?"

"It just came the other day, so I hadn't had a chance yet," Annabeth said, knowing it was a lame excuse.

Percy gave her a disbelieving look. "Annabeth, you said this would be your first choice program, even if it wasn't connected to New Rome. Aren't you excited?"

"I mean, yeah, of course I am."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I was going to. I just figured…" She exhaled, then admitted, "I was just waiting until you get your acceptance letter."

Percy's expression was inscrutable, which Annabeth didn't like. Usually it was easy for her to tell what he was thinking. After a couple long moments, he said quietly, "You don't have to cover stuff up to spare my feelings, Annabeth. I don't want that."

"That wasn't…" She stopped and bit her lip. "Fine. Sorry. I should have told you."

"It's okay." Percy smiled tentatively. "So…classes at UC Berkeley? Going to college to be an architect? I mean, I know redesigning Olympus was your dream job, but this is pretty great, right?"

Annabeth returned the smile. "Yeah. It'll be cool to actually learn more about different kinds of designs and techniques and everything. I'm really excited."

Percy sank back onto the bed beside her and kissed her cheek. "You've earned it. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." She curled her fingers around his wrist. "It's going to be great when we're out there together."

"Uh-huh." He pulled his hand away to grab his math textbook again, his pencil clutched in his other hand like a sword. "Alright. Let's finish these Tartarus-cursed problems."

An hour later, his homework was done, and Percy said he thought he understood the concept well enough to pass his quiz in the morning. When Annabeth walked him down to the front door, he gave her a big hug. "Thanks for all the help. And congratulations." He kissed her temple. "You're awesome."

She smiled into his shirt, but there was definitely some tension and distance between them, and she wasn't sure what to say to make it go away. She knew he was genuinely happy for her, but there was also the increasingly uncomfortable fact of his lack of an acceptance letter hanging over them. "Everything's going to work out, Percy. I promise."

"Sure." Percy's smile looked a little forced. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "See you tomorrow."

When she got back up to her room, Annabeth sat at her desk, studying her two acceptance letters, and thinking. Then, she opened her laptop and started doing some research.

Although he'd said he was fine, Percy was unusually distant and quiet over the next few days. Finally, on Thursday, Annabeth decided that was enough. She'd stayed late at the school library to finish some homework, but instead of heading to her dorm afterwards, she took the subway to the Upper East Side. She met Paul on the street outside the apartment building.

"Hi, Annabeth." He smiled warmly at her. "I didn't know you were coming over tonight."

"I thought I'd surprise Percy," she replied. "It's been a stressful week."

"Tell me about it." Paul heaved a sigh. "I caught two separate students plagiarizing essays this week."

"Seriously?" Annabeth asked as Paul let them into the building and gestured for her to go first through the door.

"Seriously. They put off writing their papers until the last minute, then realized it takes time and effort to actually do research. Unfortunately, it happens almost every year." He shook his head, then asked, "How are your classes going?"

While they walked up the steps, Annabeth told him about the Shakespeare play her class was reading, and the project she was completing over it. Paul listened carefully, then made some really good suggestions of ways she could continue to develop the analytical part of the assignment. Annabeth thanked him as they reached the apartment and he unlocked the door.

Inside, Percy's voice could be heard coming from the kitchen. "It's just frustrating, Mom. I swear I'm trying my best, but I'm still just barely getting by. And what if I don't ever get—"

"Honey, you're doing fine." Sally's soothing voice floated down the hall. "I know how hard you've been working. Paul sees how hard you've been working. I'm sure Annabeth does, too. The only thing that matters is that you keep trying your best. Everything else will work out."

"I guess." Percy sounded resigned, and when Annabeth followed Paul into the kitchen, she saw her boyfriend slumped against the counter, his entire posture defeated. However, he perked up when he spotted her, his shoulders straightening and a surprised but pleased smile flickering across his lips. As Paul crossed the kitchen to greet his wife, Percy walked over to Annabeth. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd surprise you." She shrugged, then took his hand, adding quietly, "I missed you."

Percy's expression softened. He quickly kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you're here."

Sally invited Annabeth to join them for dinner. Although that genuinely hadn't been Annabeth's plan (she'd intended to ask Percy to go out for pizza), she was happy to accept the invitation. Because Sally's cooking really was the best.

Percy's mood seemed to improve at dinner. Food did usually cheer him up. But he was still quieter than normal. Even when he and Annabeth were doing the dishes together afterwards, he didn't say much. Occasionally he would glance over at her and smile, but it never quite reached his eyes.

"Do you have homework?" she asked as she finished drying the last pan while Percy rinsed the soap bubbles out of the sink.

"Of course." There was a bitter note in his voice that she hadn't heard very often. His shoulders slumped again. "All I do lately is homework. Or go to tutoring. Or work on SAT prep."

"Well at least that's done," Annabeth offered as she put the pan in a cabinet. "Since you already took the test again."

"Uh-huh." Percy squeezed out the kitchen sponge, then wiped down the counter with somewhat unnecessary force. "Assuming I did any better this time."

"I'm sure you did fine, Percy," Annabeth said softly. She wished she knew what to say or do to wipe the discouraged expression off his face. But as well as she knew him, this felt like uncharted territory. She'd never really seen him this dejected. Even when things were going badly on quests, Percy somehow always managed to find a sliver of hope or determination. But now, he seemed really defeated. And it hurt to see. While he was standing at the sink rinsing out the sponge, Annabeth stepped forward and hugged him, forehead pressed against his shoulder blade. Percy stiffened briefly in surprise, then he relaxed. Neither of them said anything for a few moments. Finally, reluctantly, Annabeth said, "Homework."

She felt his sigh. "Fine. Better get it over with."

Since Sally and Paul were watching TV in the living room, Percy and Annabeth were allowed to work in Percy's room, for less distractions. Although Sally did make a point of saying, "Leave the door open." Annabeth had finished all her work for the moment, so she sat cross-legged on the bed doodling building designs in her notebook while Percy sat beside her, hunched over Paul's laptop and scowling at the screen as he worked on an essay for his English class. Annabeth had read the novel his essay was over for her own class last spring, so occasionally he asked her questions about it and she did her best to answer.

"You know what would be awesome?" Percy grumbled.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

"If the frickin' letters wouldn't get all jumbled on me." He glared at his essay. "Half of the words in this essay have that stupid red squiggly 'hey, moron, you spelled this wrong' line under them."

"That's what my essays usually look like, too," she said sympathetically. "We can't help dyslexia. Paul or your mom will help you proofread it, won't they?"

"They will. I just wish they didn't have to." Percy shook his head. "Never mind. Doesn't matter. Hey, do you remember if that scene outside the jail ties into the theme I'm writing about? I still need another half a page, so I figured I could talk about that, if it fits."

Because it was a school night, Annabeth had to leave earlier than normal. Percy was actually still in the process of finishing his essay, but he took a break to walk her to the door. She said good-bye to Sally and Paul, who were still in the living room, and thanked Sally for dinner. Percy stepped into the hall with her, closing the apartment door behind him.

"I'm glad you came over tonight," he said. "Even if I wasn't much fun."

"It's okay." Annabeth wanted to say something reassuring, but she didn't know what. "At least I got to help you with your essay. Which you probably need to go finish."

"Probably." Percy kissed her cheek. "See you later, Annabeth."

It was only when she was nearly back to her dorm that she realized what was bothering her. Except for a few rare instances, mostly from when they first started dating, Percy always kissed her good night or good-bye on the lips. Unease settled over Annabeth's shoulders. She'd hoped that stopping by tonight would help to bridge the distance she was starting to feel between them, but apparently she hadn't been successful. _It's just the stress_, she told herself. _Everything will be fine once Percy gets his acceptance letter_. And if it didn't come…Annabeth was working on a plan for that, too. Which was why she stayed up a little later than she'd planned to do some more research.

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*****Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 will be up next week.*****


	2. Chapter 2

The next week was tense. The stress of school, plus the continued absence of Percy's letter, led to several heated discussions between the two of them. Then, on Friday night, it all boiled over.

Percy and Annabeth were sitting on the living room floor in Percy's apartment, using the coffee table as a desk. Annabeth was losing track of the number of Fridays they'd spent catching up on homework, but she was pretty sure it was too many. Unfortunately, they both had tests and projects due next week, so here they were, sitting in the same room, but with so many books and supplies stacked between them they could barely see each other.

Sally was out of town for a couple days attending a writing seminar in Syracuse, but Paul was sitting at the kitchen table grading papers. The TV was tuned to a college basketball game; the announcers' voices droned softly in the background. Annabeth looked up from her study guide to see Percy staring, a little zoned out, at the television. After a moment, he blinked, noticed her watching, muttered, "Sorry," and went back to his worksheet.

"It's fine," Annabeth said. "We could probably use a break soon. Hey, how was your vocab quiz today?"

"It went okay," Percy said, still looking down at his worksheet. "I actually scraped a B, just barely."

"Percy, that's great! See, I told you flashcards would work."

Percy shot her half a smile, but didn't say anything else. Annabeth figured he was trying to concentrate on his work, so she let him be for a few minutes. While she was writing out definitions from the book on her study guide, she noticed him glance up a few more times and briefly watch the game. Finally, she ventured, "You know, you could take a break. It's okay."

"I'm fine," Percy said shortly. Then, under his breath, "Geez, Annabeth."

Her concern shifted into irritation. "Excuse me for noticing that you're stressed out and suggesting a solution."

"I appreciate the concern," Percy said, his voice tight again, "but I don't need a solution. I've got everything under control."

"I didn't say you didn't! I just said maybe you need a quick break."

"Well, I don't! What I need is to finish this damn homework so I can relax and maybe enjoy my weekend for a change. And I don't need you judging me for taking five seconds to check the score."

"I am not judging you," Annabeth said, stung. "Percy, I don't care if you sit on the couch and watch the entire game—"

"Except then I'd still have all this crap to do, and I'm just trying to get it frickin' done—"

Unfortunately, things only escalated from there. Truthfully, Annabeth would think later, this had probably been building up for a while, given how overwhelmed they'd both been feeling, while trying to act like everything was fine. Throw in some residual stress from everything they'd gone through over the summer and maybe it wasn't surprising that they got into the kind of argument they hadn't had since probably before the Battle of Manhattan last year. Since Paul was just in the other room, they refrained from yelling, instead talking in low, irritated, almost hissing voices, which somehow ended up feeling even more cutting. Finally, after a particularly nasty remark from Percy, Annabeth couldn't stay any longer. Gathering up as much of her stuff as she could quickly grab, she stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. Tears pricked her eyes as she jogged down the steps, and she couldn't stop them from falling down her cheeks when she reached the street.

To his credit, Percy did come running after her, catching her on the sidewalk about a block away. He insisted on walking her back to her dorm, to make sure she got there safely, but it was a nearly silent, uncomfortable walk. They didn't speak again until Sunday morning, when Percy came over to her dorm to apologize just as Annabeth was getting ready to go over to his apartment and do the same thing.

Over breakfast, they had a chance to talk, really talk, something they hadn't been doing much, since they'd been so focused on school. Trying to graduate early, so they only had to spend one more year in New York before hopefully heading to the relative protection of New Rome, was taking its toll. The workload was intense. And pressure could lead to misunderstandings.

"Percy, I hope you know I'm not judging you," Annabeth said, toying with her food. "I know how hard you've been working. I'm just trying to help."

"I know that." Percy reached across the table to take her hand. "And I honestly appreciate all the help, Annabeth. Seriously. It's just…I don't exactly enjoy school. But it's taking over my life right now. I miss just hanging out, or doing literally anything that's not homework. Even fighting Setne was a nice change. I mean, it sucked, but at least it was something different."

Annabeth had to laugh at that. "True. But, Percy, you know this isn't forever. Just a few more months until graduation."

"Yeah, because I'm sure the workload is a lot less in college," he said with a sarcastic smirk and Annabeth laughed again. His expression grew serious, though, as his eyes fell on their hands, where he was nervously playing with her fingers. "Assuming, you know, I get in."

Annabeth twisted her hand so she could lace her fingers through his, stilling them as she squeezed his hand tightly. "You will."

"We'll see." Percy exhaled, his gaze still on their clasped hands. "After everything we've survived, though, it would be pretty embarrassing to be taken down by homework."

So they'd made up and things between them were fine as they crossed the halfway point of November. Although there was still no sign of Percy's letter. And, despite the fact that he spent the next few days clearly trying to have a positive attitude, it was obvious Percy was still struggling with his workload.

The following Friday found them sitting on opposite ends of the couch in Percy's apartment. Annabeth's legs were tucked up under her and she was chewing on the end of a pen, trying to stay focused on her AP Government textbook, desperate to find any topic that might hold her interest long enough to write an essay about it. Percy had been sitting back with his feet on the coffee table, but now he'd set them on the ground as he hunched over his chemistry homework, nose wrinkled in concentration as he looked from his textbook to his notes and back again, occasionally muttering to himself. The noise of Sally and Paul getting ready to leave and go see a show drifted down the hall, reminding Annabeth that it was once again Friday night and maybe it would be nice to do something besides study. But she glanced at Percy, focused on his work, and decided not to interrupt him. Fighting back a sigh, Annabeth returned her attention to her own homework.

Ten minutes after his parents left, however, Percy swore and threw down his pencil. Annabeth jumped and looked at him as he dumped his chemistry stuff on the floor and cursed again. "I give up. I can't do this."

"What?"

Percy leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, his head in his hands. "I can't freaking do this. I don't get it."

"Chemistry?" Annabeth set her own book and pen down and cautiously scooted towards him. "Percy, I can help you. I mean, balancing equations is a pain and all but—"

"It's not just chemistry. Or physics. Or pre-calculus. Or whatever other stupid classes I'm taking." Because his face was still buried in his hands, his voice was muffled as he said, "I hate studying. I'm not—I'm not a good student. And no matter how hard I try, I'm not good enough."

"Percy—"

"I got my SAT scores back again. They went down." His shoulders slumped farther. His voice was almost inaudible as he said, "I don't know why I thought college was an option for me. I really am an idiot for thinking I could do this."

"Hey." Annabeth's voice came out sharper than she intended, but she thought maybe that wasn't a bad thing. "Stop it. Percy, look at me."

When he didn't, she moved until she was right beside him, then, as gently as she could manage, moved his hands away from his face and tugged him upright, though he still wouldn't meet her eyes.

So she took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. She hated seeing the shame etched on his features, especially when she didn't think he had anything to be ashamed of. "Nobody gets to talk about my boyfriend that way. Not even my boyfriend." She kissed him, hard. "Test scores aren't everything. Neither is New Rome. I mean, I know that's what we'd talked about, but if they don't want you, then screw them. We'll figure something else out. I've been researching other places, state schools and community colleges, and there are options."

Percy swallowed. "But I don't want to hold you back from—"

She kissed him again before he could finish that sentence. "No way. You don't get to pull that guilt trip on yourself because it's not true. And you don't have to be good at school to be good enough. Percy, you're—you're one of the best people I've ever met. Plus you're really good at a lot of things. Who cares if standardized tests and homework aren't some of them?"

He lowered his eyes. "I just don't want to let you down."

Annabeth ran her thumbs along the fine, fragile bones beneath his eyes, which wouldn't meet hers. Emotion briefly choked her, but finally she said, "Percy, you have _never _let me down. And I'm proud of how hard you've been working. You can do this." She kissed him once more, gently this time. "I believe in you."

He nodded, but his shoulders were still slumped, his attitude defeated. An idea crossed Annabeth's mind and she decided to go with it. Standing up from the couch, she held out her hand. "Come on. We're leaving."

Percy looked up then in surprise. "What? To go where?"

"Just trust me. Do you have Riptide?"

He raised an eyebrow, then pulled the pen out of his jeans pocket. "Don't I always?"

"Good." She hauled him off the couch and to the front door, stopping to grab her drakon bone sword, and their sweatshirts, on the way. "Don't forget your key."

The evening light was fading. A few last orange streaks of sunset lingered beneath the heavy gray clouds. A brisk wind whipped down the street, but when they reached Central Park, the trees partly sheltered them. Once she found a relatively open, yet deserted, spot, Annabeth let go of Percy's hand and turned to face him. "Okay, Jackson, whip it out."

"Um, what?"

"Your sword, Percy." Annabeth moved into a battle stance with her own sword. "We haven't sparred since summer. I want to make sure you're not getting rusty."

She watched as his confusion gradually melted into understanding, then a faint smile. He pulled out Riptide and took off the cap. With a metallic _shink_, his Celestial bronze sword appeared. "Alright, Wise Girl. Let's see what you've got."

They started slow, just warming up, because it _had _been a while since they'd sparred, but it didn't take long to fall back into their rhythm and pick up speed. Annabeth stopped thinking too hard, letting her reflexes take over, enjoying the fact that her muscles were getting a workout for a change, rather than just her brain. Percy's initial smile morphed into a more focused, determined look. He actually caught her off guard several times with moves he must have picked up from their Camp Jupiter friends because the style was very non-Greek. But that was great because it meant Annabeth had to think on her feet about how to counter. Percy had always been one of the few who really challenged her. Partly because of his chaotic but controlled style. He was an incredibly skilled swordsman, so his movements were powerful and intentional, but there was no real pattern to them, nothing predictable. Plus, he was excellent at improvising based on the situation. Which always made it fun for Annabeth to go up against him because fighting Percy wasn't as easy as simply mastering and manipulating his pattern; she had to improvise as much as he did. Often it worked, but he got the upper hand over her occasionally. Enough to keep things interesting, anyway.

Clangs echoed around the clearing when their blades met. Her entire focus narrowed to the fight. It was exhilarating. Gods, she'd forgotten how good it felt to spar with him. Judging by the way Percy's eyes were sparkling, despite his focused expression, he felt the same.

She lost track of time as they went back and forth. The shadows lengthened, though, and eventually it was almost too dark to see, which was making sword-fighting a little dangerous. Annabeth debated suggesting they stop, but before she could, Percy jabbed and, when Annabeth blocked him, he managed to disarm her with a tricky little twisting move. She spun away, trying to scoop her sword off the ground, but Percy caught her and pulled her back against him. They were both breathing hard from the workout. His breath fell in heavy puffs against the back of her neck as Riptide hovered a few inches out from her collarbone.

"What do you think?" Percy asked.

"I think you win," she admitted.

Percy dropped his sword. His hand drifted gently across her waist as he stepped around to face her. He was close enough that even in the fading light, she could see the expression on his face, which was doing nothing to slow down her racing heart.

"Is that a good idea?" she murmured. "To just leave your sword on the ground like that?"

"It'll reappear in my pocket in a minute."

"What if we get attacked? And what about mine?"

"We probably won't. But just in case," he nudged her sword closer with his shoe. "There, totally in reaching distance. Feel better?"

"Yes. You?"

"So much better." And then, finally, he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

The kiss was…definitely not sweet. That was the wrong word. Fierce? Maybe. Passionate? Definitely, but that still wasn't quite right. No, Annabeth realized later, when she could think enough to analyze it, the word was _hungry_. He kissed her there in the park like he couldn't get enough, like she was a life-saving medication he desperately needed. This kiss, unlike so many others, didn't melt her. It set her on fire. It felt wonderful.

Finally, reluctantly, she broke away, gasping for breath but staying close, her forehead resting against his neck. The staccato beat of his heart kept time with hers.

After a few long moments, Percy pressed a kiss against the top of her head. "Best. Girlfriend. Ever." His voice was somewhat muffled by her hair when he said, "Thanks."

Lifting her head just slightly, Annabeth brushed her lips against his throat, smiling at his small intake of breath. She looked up, intending to say something, but when she met his eyes, swirling sea-green and gorgeous, the thought whooshed out of her mind. Instead, not yet ready for the bubbly, fuzzy, fiery feeling to fade, she kissed him again. This time, when he returned it, it was with more tenderness than heat, which was wonderful in a different way. Annabeth didn't think she'd ever get tired of feeling close to Percy, and she definitely hoped she never got tired of kissing him (it didn't seem likely).

"See?" Annabeth said when she pulled away, though Percy kept his arms looped around her waist, and she kept hers around his neck, almost in a slow-dance pose. "I told you there are lots of things you're good at."

The corner of Percy's mouth quirked up. "Seriously? You're going with 'I told you so'?"

"Yes." Annabeth ran her fingers through his hair, not quite meeting his eyes. "Because, Percy, you tell me all the time that I'm awesome or amazing, which is so sweet. And sometimes I need to remind you that you are, too. Awesome and amazing."

In the dim twilight, it was a little difficult to make out his expression. But, finally, he asked, "Really?"

"Really." Annabeth kissed him again, because, gods, he was cute and she loved him. "Really, really, really."

Sometime later, as they were walking back to the apartment, Annabeth added, "It doesn't matter where we end up, whether it's New Rome, or Berkeley, or New York, or somewhere else. Because wherever it is, we'll be together. That's the most important thing."

"Absolutely." Percy raised their clasped hands to his lips and softly kissed the back of her hand. Goosebumps raced up Annabeth's arm.

When they got back, they did finish their homework, sitting with knees touching, occasionally stealing sly smiles or a hand squeeze. And when their work was (mostly) done, they may have taken some small advantage of the otherwise empty apartment.

Percy didn't complain nearly as much about school over the next couple weeks, especially since they took the time to go to the park for a few more study breaks.

Then, a couple days before Thanksgiving, Annabeth stopped by the Jackson-Blofis apartment. Percy wasn't home yet, but Sally let her in, greeting her with a hug. After answering questions about her day and how her classes were going, Annabeth asked, hesitantly, "Has he—I mean, has Percy's letter arrived yet?"

Sally sighed and shook her head. "Nothing yet. I haven't had a chance to check the mailbox today, though. But this has been incredibly frustrating. I just don't understand…" Sally's voice trailed off as she bit her lip. Her hand drifted to where her baby bump was becoming prominent. "You and I both know how hard he's been working and how much he wants this. He's so deserving. I just want them to see that."

"I know," Annabeth said. "I hate this, too. Percy was so excited when he first told me about New Rome and the university and everything. I don't want him to be discouraged."

"Neither do I." Sally sighed again. Then a small smile crossed her face. "He told me about your idea to go to the park and practice sword-fighting, though. I thought that was very sweet."

Annabeth ducked her head, feeling her cheeks heat up. "Yeah, well, I wanted to remind him he's really good at a lot of stuff. School isn't everything. And I've looked up options for other colleges, too. There's even a community college in Berkeley, if he wanted to start there. It's always good to have a back-up plan."

"I told Percy something similar. There's never only one route. And if my son wants to go to college, I'm going to make sure he can." There was a fierce glint in Sally's eyes that Annabeth had only seen a few times. She loved the woman's determination.

"Percy's lucky to have you," Annabeth said. "I've always told him that."

"He's lucky to have you, too." The fierceness melted when Sally smiled at Annabeth. "You're welcome to hang out until Percy gets home. I have to run some errands, and maybe do a little Christmas shopping, so I'm thinking pizza for dinner. Will you be staying?"

"If that's okay," Annabeth said.

"It's always okay, sweetheart."

"Thanks." Annabeth hesitated, then added, "And, Sally…I feel lucky to have Percy, too. Just…I just wanted you to know that."

"I know you do." To Annabeth's surprise, Sally gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before turning to grab her coat and purse. "Alright, I'm heading out. See you later for dinner, Annabeth."

Even after Sally left, the happy and content way she made Annabeth feel remained. If she was thinking of people she felt lucky to have in her life, Sally was absolutely one of them. Annabeth doubted she would ever be able to fully explain to Percy's mom just how much she appreciated the way Sally had warmly welcomed her into her home and their lives. Especially since that hadn't always been Annabeth's experience.

After grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen, Annabeth settled herself on the couch to read a novel for her English class. It was relaxing to work in the empty, quiet apartment while she waited for Percy to get back from swim practice. When he finally arrived, she looked up with a smile, but he only partly returned it. Instead, he stayed leaning against the wall with a strange, furtive expression on his face.

Annabeth rose from the couch, setting down her book and walking over to him. She couldn't read his expression, which worried her. "What's wrong?"

Wordlessly, Percy held up an envelope. The purple SPQR logo was prominently visible. The letter had been opened. Annabeth caught her breath. "What does it say?"

Percy glanced down at the floor and handed her the letter. Heart pounding so hard her fingers trembled, Annabeth took the letter out of the envelope. It looked at first glance like the one she'd received, but his face was so inscrutable she couldn't be sure…she shook the letter open and started to read.

_Dear Mr. Jackson [former praetor], _

_ Congratulations on being accepted to the University of New Rome_…

"Oh my gods." Annabeth released her breath in one massive exhale. She looked up to see a grin breaking across Percy's face, so she smacked his arm with his letter. "You jerk! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Maybe just a little." His grin held that familiar hint of a smirk. "Apparently it took longer to send my letter because as a former praetor, even though it was only for a few days, I get priority housing and they had to make sure there were enough spaces."

"So you get one of the fancy dorms?"

"Guess so. If you're nice to me, I'll let you hang out there too."

"You'd better." Annabeth didn't even try to hold back her smile as she met his eyes.

Percy's smirking grin turned into a more genuine smile. "I'm in, Annabeth. I mean, assuming I pass my classes and bring up my SAT score a little and stuff, but they said I'm in. Full scholarship." His voice was a little wondering, like he couldn't really believe what he was saying. Like he hadn't been working so hard for months just for this moment. "I'm going to college."

He sounded so happy and amazed when he said it that Annabeth's heart completely melted. She moved closer, one arm wrapping around his neck, the other, with the letter still in her hand, pressed against his chest. "I am so, so proud of you."

Percy's eyes locked on hers. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't sell yourself short."

"Okay." He shifted their positions so that Annabeth's back was now against the wall. The expression on his face made her fingertips tingle as he said, "I wouldn't have _wanted _to do this without you."

"Ditto." Annabeth kissed Percy. He kissed her back with that same intensity she'd felt in the park. Once again, Annabeth felt as if everything inside her had been set on fire. It was the way he'd kissed her beneath the Acropolis, like everything in their lives, all the horrible and the good, had led to this exact moment, and nothing else in the world mattered except being here together.

By the time they broke apart, Annabeth's knees were weak. Luckily, Percy didn't step away. Instead, he leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed. Annabeth lightly traced her fingers along his jaw, his ear, his neck, just enjoying the contact.

_We did it._ The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't say them out loud. Part of her didn't want to jinx them, but mostly she didn't want to ruin the moment with words.

It was enough, right now, just to be close like this and imagine the future expanding before them.

* * *

*****Thanks for reading! I've had this idea for a while, of Annabeth helping Percy take a break from studying by sword-fighting, reminding him of what he's good at, but developing that headcanon into a full story turned out to be a bit tricky. Hope it was enjoyable to read, though! **

**Also, I'm trying to keep the timeline relatively consistent between all these "senior year" stories (Nightmares, Constant, News, The God of Healing Got Me Sick, After the Island, Canceled, and Home, etc.), so the argument mentioned in here is loosely connected to Chapter 2 of my story "Constant." So if you like this story and you're interested in reading more, those are out there, too.**

**I have another one-shot story currently in the editing process that I'm going to post sometime before the end of the year, probably after Christmas. Hope everyone has a good holiday season!*** **


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